


The long way home

by ZanellBlack



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Domestic Avengers, F/M, Parent Tony Stark, Points of View, Sisters, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-02-26 22:24:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 9,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanellBlack/pseuds/ZanellBlack
Summary: After escaping H.Y.D.R.A. the young Annette has to look after her kid sister Madeleine. When they recieve bad news, they are found by their former captors and rescued by the Avengers.This is the story of how they found home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Safe Haven](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9103210) by [saintlittlebastard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintlittlebastard/pseuds/saintlittlebastard). 



> This work was inspired by one that I read here. I just took some key ideas from it and then added my own ideas after I asked myself "what if?"

Anette tried not to make a traceable routine in case they were looking for them after two years. However, she had not the heart to deny anything to her younger sister Maddie. That was the reason why every Thursday and Saturday they went to eat to the Communitarian Kitchen near Lexintong Avenue, Maddie liked the food in there and loved the people who take care of the place.  They came across the Kitchen two years ago, when they had just escaped from the facilities they were kept in and have been on the run ever since then. Anette liked in there because they didn’t need money to eat, all she had to do was to help clean the place or do the dishes for her and her sister to have a warm meal and a safe place to rest for a while.  

When they first appeared in the Communitarian Kitchen, a teenager and her toddler sister caught the attention of the volunteers and employees, however the reticence of Anette to disclose any information about them and the protectiveness towards her baby sister grant her the support from some of the people in charge. They expected them every week.

For a pair of runaways it was hard to be on top of news if they didn’t know how to read and owned no TV. So that Saturday, after paying in with their work for their meals, Maddie was talking to the regulars in the Kitchen and Anette was watching the news. In a minute, her world fell apart.

_“Today, the lifeless body of former model Monique Lyon was found abandoned.”_

One of the owners, Jon, noticed how Anette started to walk dumb folded near the screen to listen closely to the news delivered by the top Anchorman.  

“Dear, are you alright?” Jon asked.

“Yes, Jon… I… just…  it caught me by surprise”

_-“The funeral will be held in Saint Calixtus Chappel and from there, the body will be buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens. The authorities ask for all the fans of the model to abstain from attending the service._

\- _I assume_ – said the anchor lady – _That Tony Stark, billionaire, playboy and … her last know partner will be there to say the last goodbye to the one that once was America’s Sweetheart and won over his heart._

\- _That was before she disappeared five years ago. Without any doubt, today is a dark day for the modeling world.”_

Anette had to fight back the tears that were forming in her eyes. Those bastards had killed her. They never let her go and probably, she suffered and was tortured all because she and Maddie escaped. She felt the impotence and anger building from inside trying to surface and threatening with let an uncontrollable rage come out. That was until she noticed the man beside her.

Jon then turned to her “She is your mother. The one you always talk about and yet never comes with us right?” All Anette could do was nod affirmatively. “Listen girl, your sister is too young to be homeless, and you could work. Why don’t you talk to Childcare Services, they would take her to a foster home and that would help you to make a living.”

No. Maddie was all that was left in the world for Anette. She wasn’t giving her up to no-one, except perhaps to her father, but first she had to find him and he had to prove that he cared for her. Without even responding to Jon, Annette called for her sister.

“Maddie, have you finished your meal? We are leaving.”  


	2. Chapter 2

Somewhere in Manhattan, in the called Avengers Tower, Tony Stark was fixing the blueprints for his latest improvements to Mark IV when his AI called for him.

_“Mister Stark, your name has become relevant recently by mentions on the news.”_

“That’s nothing new, I am mentioned several times across media every day. What have I done this time? Changed the course of history? Made it to the top hottest man of the world?”

_“I am afraid no Sir, it is in relation to former model Monique Lyon.”_

_“Then I’m not interested at all F.R.I.D.A.Y.”_ To talk about Monique became a taboo for Tony. She disappeared five years ago, leaving Tony in yet another depressive season. For the first time with her, he felt he could settle down, and it was painful to think about the future they were planning together. One day, without saying a word she stopped coming by, or appearing in public at all. It was as if Earth opened a hole and engulfed her completely. That hurt him the most, the he thought they were doing well together, just for her to leave him alone. He opened his heart and put his hopes in their relationship to be mocked again by destiny.

_“Sir, they are asking if you are attending her funeral services.”_

“She reappeared just to die. So typical!” Yes, Tony was hurt about Monique leaving, and now he had another life. But he loved her dear and now he could not concentrate in the work he was doing. “Ok, F.R.I.D.A.Y. give me the information.”

F.R.I.D.A.Y. gave Tony the address and details from the funeral services. It was hard for Tony, but he did want to say goodbye to who once was a true love of him.


	3. Chapter 3

All Annette wanted was to see her once again. To make sure that the body in that coffin was truly her mother.  To convince herself that she should not wait for her anymore, and to bid farewell to the one that gave her the world. She entered the place where the mourners were watching over the body of Monique Lyon and tried not to be conspicuous. She couldn’t help notice how some men in suits were too serious to be mourning, she must keep far from their reach in case they were H.Y.D.R.A. agents. She could notice a bunch of histrionic people overacting their grief; they must be the fake friends that fame and fortune brought to her mother.

As she got closer to the coffin, her legs turned to jelly and her breath became uneven. It grew harder to get to the front row. She had to find support in the seats and benches. Nobody seemed to notice her, or better said, they chose to ignore the somehow disheveled out-of-place girl that was walking towards the coffin. 

The sight brought to the front the tears she was battling to contain since she saw the news at the Communitarian Kitchen. Monique looked as beautiful as ever, as the big picture printed that was standing on an easel covered with flowers by the side of the coffin. Looking closer, the bruises and scars were noticeable. They were a reminder of her suffering, but they also reminded her of the time they were together. For her, Monique was the most beautiful human being, even when she saw her sweaty, puffy and beaten in captivity with her five years ago. And her heart broke at that very moment.

Annette was so overwhelmed about the moment and the memories that she didn’t noticed when everyone started to whisper and take pictures of the man entering the place. Tony Stark had arrived. As he was moving forward to pay his respect to the body, Annette moved aside trying to hide herself among the people, but never lost sight of Tony Stark.


	4. Chapter 4

The funeral services took place in Saint Calixtus Chappel as it was announced in the news. It was a nice and generic service and among the entire people attending, nobody payed much attention to the two girls sitting at the back of the church. After confirming the identity of the model, Annette went back to where she left Maddie hiding and tried to make both of them look the best, so they can follow their mother’s body to her eternal rest place.

Tony Stark was never a man who showed weakness or excess of emotion if it meant crying, which is the reason why two of his best friends decided to be by his side during this heartbreaking moment. Steve had lost most of his loved ones and Natasha always tried to conceal her feelings, but they were with him when he needed them the most. Of course, they never left their superhero mode off, and Natasha was the first to notice those two out of place girls. Unfortunately she was not the only one to take notice of them.

When the coffin was covered and people started to leave, the two girls remained and placed few white garden flowers on top of the ones that covered the place.  Tony was in an interview when Natasha noticed two men approaching to the girls. Suddenly, the eldest girl kicked one of the men in the knee provoking him to lose stability and fall over the other. Then the girl turned to carry in the small girl in her arms and run through the graves. Stealthy, Natasha left Tony’s side and followed the two men that were now running after the girls.

Annette wasn’t forgiving herself, she was distracted and that meant that two H.Y.D.R.A. agents were about to take them back to captivity. She had no idea if they wanted her of Maddie, but it didn’t matter, until Maddie was safely out of their reach she would never rest… nor would she let them have her. So she ran and hided in what looked like a Mausoleum.

“Annie, I’m scared.” The high pitched voice of the kid echoed in the tomb.

“Listen Maddie, you have to be very quiet.” Annette instructed the girl in a whisper trying to calm her too. “If the men catch me, you have to hide from them and look for Jon at the Communitarian Kitchen, he will help you. Do you understand?”  When she finished instructing the girl, she was turned by a hand, which took her by surprise.

“I handled them. Is safe for both of you to come out.”

Annette looked in disbelief and wasn’t able to articulate words. In front of her stood the very Black Widow and she was asking them to come out from their hiding place. More than asking them, she was forcing them gently to follow her. As the two girls came out, she dragged them to the black car that she was driving and in which she arrived with Steve. Natasha shoved them inside and ignited the engine.

Before leaving the cemetery, Natasha called Steve just to tell him the change of plans. “Steve, I’m on my way back to the Tower. Had a fishy encounter with H.Y.D.R.A. but everything went well. I will see you both there.” She was counting on them leaving in Tony’s car.

Maddie was excited about the car ride, while her sister could only hold her tight. Annette knew the entire file about the Black Widow by heart and should be nuts not to be scared from the Assassin and spy, but at least, she wasn’t now with H.Y.D.R.A. and apparently she had saved them from the agents that were following her.  Nonetheless, she had no idea what could she want from them or where she was taking them. And she was too scared to ask.


	5. Chapter 5

Some of the Avengers were on a mission, including Vision and Pietro, the ones that Wanda was awaiting eagerly at the tower. Vision arrived and after greeting the Witch, went to his quarters. Pietro however, went and took a shower first and then went to greet the inhabitants of the Tower to the common room, he was talking about the novelties with his sister, with his back to the elevator, when the doors of the lift opened.

Annette couldn’t stop Maddie from running, she was more preoccupied by the scrutiny look the Widow was giving to them.

In her mind, Natasha was wondering once and again, what would two grown up H.Y.D.R.A. agents want with these two girls? It didn’t look as if they had powers or were especially good at fighting. Whatever reason it was, she wasn’t giving them away. During the whole ride, none of the girls had said a word beyond the excitement of riding the car and pointing at evident stuff like stores or dogs. However, just the elevator opened, the little one ran to the man standing in front of her screaming loudly.

“PIETRO!”

The addressed man turned around surprised, just in time to catch the girl that was jumping to his arms.

“Hey, Maddie… what are you… Where’s your…?”  Pietro searched in the room for Annette, and when he found her coming from the elevator, he smiled like a fool. He could notice a slight pink tint coloring the cheeks of the girl, and just then, he noticed the surprised look on Natasha, who was standing next to her. “Annette, what are you guys doing here?”

“Hello Pietro. I really… have no idea.” Annette waved shyly to the Avenger.

“So you can speak!  Well, maybe you can tell me why you were followed by H.Y.D.R.A. agents.” called Natasha at the same time that Tony and Steve joined them in the common room.

The floor tiles suddenly started to look extremely interesting for Annette and Maddie started to caress Pietro’s jaw. Just then, Wanda intervened to lighten the mood.

“Are you hungry girls? We just made waffles because I was waiting for Pietro to come back. Maddie and Annette right?” And Wanda moved to join arms with the eldest girl and took the hand of the youngest one as Pietro put her down, dragging them to the kitchen hopping that the others understand clearly the message that they needed to sort this out before they scare the girls and make them run away.

With the girls out of scene, it was Tony’s turn to understand what was happening in there.

“So Widow, why did you leave?”

“These girls were at the funeral and then two agents from the other side were following them. They were chasing them around the graves, so I stepped in and put them to safety with me. I brought them here and Pietro seems to know them.”

They all fixed their eyes on Pietro

“What? Oh… them… I know them from a charity restaurant I volunteer on Thursdays. They are regulars there and, if you want to get information you have to use your most subtle tactics Nat. It is really hard to get anything from them. Believe me, I’ve tried to break the sisters, whenever Maddie is about to reveal something, a glare from Annette can make her silent in seconds. But Annette would do anything for her sister.” hearing this, it was Steve’s turn to intervene.

“Still, what would H.Y.D.R.A. want with them. They are barely kids.” He was nauseated with the idea that they were used to experiment.

“I don’t really know why someone could have a quarrel against them. I met them almost a year ago and all I know is that they are homeless and looking for their mother, a woman named Monique. But that’s all I got, since Annette…” Pietro could not finish the sentence.

“You said Monique? Monique Lyon? Their mother?” Tony was surprised. He dated Monique for over 2 years and she never mentioned having children. But what was bugging him more was the fact that the younger one, seemed no older than 6, there was a tiny chance she was his.

“That solves why they were at the cemetery. They were at their Mother’s funeral. But still, what would H.Y.D.R.A. want with them?” Natasha said

“I can try and find out, but I’m not promising anything.” Pietro said shrugging.


	6. Chapter 6

Natasha wanted to keep a close eye on the girls just in case the H.Y.D.R.A. agents were showing again, so she needed Tony to accede to have them staying in the tower. That was the easy part. The hard part was convincing a distrustful Annette to come and live with them. But just as Pietro said, once Maddie was on board, a resigned Annette followed them to their assigned quarters.

They could have been living in the streets for almost two years, but Annette was adamant with the sleeping routine for her sister. Having all the facilities at their rooms, she made Madeline shower before bed, wash her teeth and then, put her to bed.

“Annie… are you telling me a night story?”

“Of course sis… what would you like to hear?”

“Tell me again… how sweet was mommy...”

A saddened smile was now on Annette lips as she passed her left arm to hug the shoulders of her little sister while she went again over all the sweet quirks and details she remembered of Monique. How her eyes had a light green sparkle and the way two dimples framed her bright smile. As with every story, Maddie was soon drifting to the realm of dreams. Annette tenderly kissed her forehead and went to her own bed.

It was strange for them to wake up in a bed, in their own room, without cold or the bright rays of sun coming from everywhere. When Wanda and Natasha entered Maddie’s room the next morning, both girls were dressed and Annette was gently braiding the dark honey hair of her sister.

“Morning! I see you’re up early. Good. Would you like to go shopping today?” Natasha greeted them trying to smooth the roughness from their interactions the day before.

Maddie was excited for having a new experience, but Annette was reluctant since she knew they didn’t have enough money to survive past the day. It was Wanda’s turn to come to the rescue.

“We got Stark’s credit card!” She squealed as she said it.

They took breakfast in the kitchen and went off to the mall to mainly buy clothing for the girls. Natasha figured that they wouldn’t have clothes and thought of it as a bonding experience and an opportunity to see them interacting in the exterior. Wanda was there because she liked to go shopping and wanted to make sure her brother’s crush had nice clothing to dash him.

At the stores, Maddie bounced from dress to dress, favoring pink and sparkly over everything. However, she had the fashion sense of her mother, as Natasha soon noticed. It was not hard to buy her clothes; soon they had full bags that included swimming suits, dresses, jeans and sportswear.  Annette was other story.

For once, she didn’t say anything and although she was excited for everything Maddie was getting, it was clear that she felt out of place, like she didn’t belong to fancy clothing and variety. Wanda took upon the task of making the girl feel comfortable and shoved her with a mountain of clothing. Reluctantly, she accepted what was given to her. They thought they had finished buying when Maddie saw a soft lavender night gown and pointed excitedly to it

“Look! Annie… like the one you say Mommy was wearing when she met Daddy.”

Annette had told her the story over and over for the last two years, of how her mother entered a gala and saw the man she fell in love with. He was a tall man with dark hair and eyes, who was centered in enjoying another party, surrounded by the wealthiest man and prettiest women. Nonetheless, he turned to see the beauty model that was wearing a long light lavender dress and in that moment, she captured his heart as no one had done before.  Instinctively, Annette touched the bracelet she was wearing on her left wrist. It had a bright purple tanzanite crystal cut stone, matching the one in her sister’s necklace.

The little girl insisted on her sister trying the dress, and she indulged. Natasha noticed that the interaction between them confirmed what Pietro had already told them, but also took note of the fact that they revealed having a father and Annette stiffed at the mention of him.

Back at the tower, Wanda helped Annette and Maddie to accommodate their new clothes in their rooms. While Natasha stopped by to talk to Tony.  

“Hey Nat. I hope you girls left some money in the account.” When the Widow didn’t react to his joke, he went full attention on her. “Listen, I need a favor. Could you get me a strand of hair from them?”

“Your daughter.”

“What?”

“Maddie is your daughter, or at least, you suspect she can be. Right? That would be motif enough for them to be followed by H.Y.D.R.A. … but it is still not clear why or how.”

“Or where have they been the last 5 years. I mean, that’s how long she was out of the spotlight.”

When Tony and Natasha joined the others at the kitchen, Annette was helping Steve make dinner for everyone while Maddie was giggling in Pietro’s arms. He was throwing her into the air and catching her before she fell.

“Hey, easy on her speedster… we don’t want her to fall and hurt herself.”

“ Relax Stark. Maddie and I are just playing.” And he started to run after the girl making her laugh even more.  

Annette eyed Tony and kept away from him. For her sister it was easy to bond with all of them. Madeleine found Vision especially interesting. She sat between him and Wanda and started to talk freely. She told them about how they lived in the streets, and that she barely remembered her mother but every day Annie told hem stories about her.

Maddie also revealed that she believed Pietro was handsome and her sister liked him, confession that made Wanda laugh. Everyone did notice that as fierce as Annette tried to appear to everyone, she practically melted when Pietro was around. Still, she was like a tomb when they tried to talk about H.Y.D.R.A. or who their father was.

Steve actually tried to get some answers from her.

“So Annette, what would you like to do now that you have a home?”

“Do?  like what?”  have they really found home, she asked herself. Surely for Maddie was easy to fit in and welcome everybody, but she was still reluctant to trust these people.  

“Well, go to school perhaps. Visit some relatives. Is there a place you want to visit? What is your plan?”

“I don’t have… I don’t know if Monique had relatives.” To be honest, all she could think about the last two years was to find Monique. She knew nothing about the world and how it worked. Certainly, until this point she had never thought about a life for herself. All she cared about was to keep Maddie out of the reach from the bad guys.  Seeing her hesitance, Steve preceded the conversation.

“Well, you can give it a thought. It would be nice to get to know Manhattan. New York has a lot to offer in activities and education. I’m still marveled about how Brooklyn has changed. You may want to revisit some places you’ve been already. What about your father?”

“He doesn’t even know Maddie exist, I don’t know if he wants to have such responsibility.” She said in a whisper half hoping that nobody could listen.  Instinctively, she turned to where Tony was teasing Maddie and Pietro about the food.

Steve was observant, perhaps a bit innocent, but he could see what her actions meant. Without knowing, Annette revealed a lot of information to Steve, he seemed nice and perhaps, for once, they may trust someone. Before more questions were asked, Annette became really interested in taking away the dishes and cleaning them, putting an end to the conversation.


	7. Chapter 7

Natasha did get a strand of hair of each girl. It wasn’t hard. The hard part was to get Tony to work on them or actually do something about them. A part of him wanted to know if Maddie was her daughter. The other part of him was scared that she was his daughter. He had no idea what to do give the certainty, he just met them some months ago, and he wasn’t ready to assume such responsibility. So he postponed the DNA test until further notice.

That was until the day that Natasha entered the lab with a white envelope. She waved the envelope at Tony’s face.

“What’s this?” he asked finally taking the envelope from his face.

“The DNA results.”

“It is funny, you know… I haven’t order any DNA results.”

“I know. That’s why I did. Aren’t you a bit curious about them?” Natasha couldn’t believe that Tony just accepted them and continued with his life without further thought.

“To be honest, no, I’m not. What would I do with a daughter? I’m Iron Man, I barely sleep, I drink too much and I have no idea what to do with a teenager and a kid.”

“Let me ask you a question… when you met Monique Lyon, do you remember what she was wearing?”

“What kind of question is that? I don’t remember. A dress probably. Pink? Purple? Lavender? Full length that let her shoulders shown, with a purple drop necklace and matching earrings. You know… I bought her a similar jewelry set later, on our first anniversary. Purple Tanzanite, it wasn’t that expensive, but she loved it.” Without expecting it, Tony was engulfed by the melancholy of the memory. He tried to discard the feeling but soon was overwhelming.

Noticing the hard moment that Tony was experiencing, Natasha turned away to the door. “That’s all I needed to know.”

When Natasha left the lab, Tony just tossed aside the offending envelope. He didn’t want to know for sure the results. Now he had Pepper and a life as Avenger, a kid would be too much.

But if one of the many stories of Annette was true, then there was the possibility that all of them were true. Plus she had seen a necklace with a purple stone and a bracelet with the same stone in the girls. They only needed Tony to accept that the girls were his and move from there. Maybe then, Annette could open up more and they can finally learn where they have been during the last five years and what happened to the model.


	8. Chapter 8

Madeleine loved stories. She loved the stories her sister told her every day. She had heard them all her life. It was hard for all not to notice the bond the sisters had around Annette’s stories. Soon Wanda and Natasha were watching from afar when Annette told Madeleine her night story and they even waited for it eagerly.

If Pietro had a crush on Annette much before they arrived to the tower, he fell in love with the youngster after seeing her taking care of her sister.  Soon everybody knew how they pictured their Mother. Even Tony had heard the stories. He didn’t need to know the results from the DNA test. They knew Monique, they were her daughters.

During the following days, Pietro tried to spend the most time he could with Annette. It was easier as Wanda got a great liking of Maddie and spent much time with her. It also helped that Maddie adored Vision and how he interpreted the world. They had a lot in common, as Annette and Madeleine lived mostly in an H.Y.D.R.A. base, they were discovering the world with the recently born android.

The Avengers were constantly attending missions. Sometimes Steve was out, or Wanda or Vision. Pietro wanted to come back from them to be with Annette. For her part, Annette started to relax around Pietro, but not to the extent of speaking openly about their past.

Wanda wanted to help her brother to get his girl. She could see clearly how smitten was Pietro and how much he cared about both of them, and well, she could also read his mind and mostly, his thoughts were full of her. Wanda suggested Pietro that given the way Annette loved to tell stories; maybe she would be excited to see a movie. It was a new experience for Annette since she didn’t have normal life and he could join her in the discovery of cinema. And so, he took her to watch a movie.

Annette was excited after the movie and Pietro loved the expression on her face. They started with something easy, a Disney movie. It was a new experience for Pietro to see Annette shredding a tear or two. He tried to look casual about it but found out refreshing the sensibility of the girl. In the darkness of the theatre she could let her feeling show without worrying about being weak.

Pietro also discovered that Annette didn’t know how to dance when he invited her to a dance club. And that was another bonding moment for the two of them. At first she was reluctant to the place with its neon lights and deafening sound, but after getting used to it, she started to relax.

But Pietro not only took her out to have new experiences, even at the Tower he  payed attention to every detail of her, from the way in which she caressed the books she reads to the way in which her eyes lighten up when everyone came back from their missions and enjoyed the dinner she made for them. Annette spent her time learning new skills like cooking from YouTube tutorials, and listening to Tony ramble about his creations, never leaving her big sister duty of taking care of Madeleine.

Tony enjoyed having someone who listens to him without question. Despite every attempt from Natasha to make Tony read the DNA results, he refused once and again. However he had become close to both girls. However it was evident that he tried to get closer to Madeleine, just because it was easier for the young girl to open up than to Annette, who still had her walls up. 

Pepper learnt about the sisters not long after they arrived. At first she felt hurt that Tony never mentioned them, but then she realized that they had been just the two of them against the world and now with their mother gone, they didn’t have someone to rely on. It took her time, but finally she got close to them. Pepper formed an especially bond with Madeleine from the very beginning because she was chatty and loved to be the center of attention, much like Tony. Pepper was in charge of getting her clothes which both of them loved, and even had a spa day, like a mother-daughter may have had.

For most part, it was Pepper the one that tried to get them settled and introduce them to the society. That’s why Madeleine was enrolled into school. It wasn’t that hard for Pepper to get her in, but for Annette was a whole different story. As there were no registries of her it was harder to get her into school, plus the teenager never mentioned a word about her formal education and shown no interest in anything that doesn’t mean fulfilling every wish from Madeleine. Except perhaps, her outings with Pietro.


	9. Chapter 9

Life had reached a new level of normalcy at the Avengers Tower with the sisters there until the day that Madeleine came home from school looking worried.

“What is wrong Maddie?” A concerned Annette asked her little sister. she was imagining the worst and fearing they would have to run away. But she didn’t want Madeleine to face again the struggle of living in the streets, hiding and fearing all the time.

“We have a dance at school, Father-Daughter and I don’t know how to tell Dad.” So this was it… the moment Annette had been dreading for months now, when she becomes disposable and Madeleine leaves her to live happily ever after with her father. However, she gathered all the strength she had no idea she had stored and remained unruffled.

“Oh Maddie… just ask him, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna love to come with you.”

And so she did. Madeleine went to the lab where Tony had been working bouncing a bit with every step and a big smile plastered on her face. Annette went on her tail. Looking back to find in the sight of her sister the courage to enter, Maddie stepped into the lab.

“Oh, hello shortcake, what are you up to?” Tony greeted the short person now standing next to him wrinkling a paper on her hands.

“We have a dance at school and I want you to go with me.” She handed him the invitation lowering her gaze and looking sheepish, balancing on her toes.

Tony had no idea what to make from it. He was surprised to see the letters announcing a small ball for girls and their dads at Maddie’s school, and he felt also flattered to be receiving the invitation from her.  It was like a not spoken agreement from all the inhabitants of the tower that they were his daughters. But now, this small invitation in his hands made it tangible, made it real.

“Sure, I will tell Pepper to block the agenda this Thursday baby.” He gave her a kiss on top of her head and Maddie left in a hurry jumping on her toes, dragging Annette behind her from the spot she was occupying at the door frame.

As with many things from his life, Tony left this to Pepper and his AI. Pepper was diligent and made sure that Maddie got the perfect dress delivered for the occasion. It was a baby blue girly dress with some tulle and silver shoes. The day of the dance, Annette helped her get ready.

“Maddie you look beautiful.” Annette remarked when she put the collar on her sister. “And I know what goes perfect with your collar” she put on her wrist the bracelet that once, Monique gave to Annette. “They were from mom. I’m sure she wanted you to have them.”

Tony arrived shortly after, dressed in a three pieces Tom Ford blue suit, with a tie in gold and red that resembled more a Gryffindor than Iron Man, although the later was his attempt. “There are my girls. How do I look? Are you ready shortcake?”

“Yes daddy. I’m ready, and you look handsome.” Then the girl turned to bid her sister farewell. “Good bye Annie.”

Annette stayed at the door watching as Tony offered his arm to the little girl who takes it as they leave through the elevator. Maddie was smiling brightly as she looked at her father with adoring eyes. They looked so happy together. Annette felt her heart clench at the sight and the fear that she had brewing inside her since the funeral of Monique took over.

After a moment, when she calculated that Tony and Maddie have left the building altogether, Annette went to the room that was assigned to her and turned on the recording camera on the phone that Tony gave her for when she needed communication while they were out. She took a seat in front of the camera and started to talk.  

“Maddie, I’ve told you all stories I know about mom, but there is one I kept for last. By now you may have figured out that Monique is not my mother as she is yours.

“I only remember to have lived at the H.Y.D.R.A. base from where we escaped, and I hope you don’t remember our life there. In that place I had no name, but the men in charge of our area always called me TS09. That base was all I ever know, and it had the same routine every day. They were running various experiments trying to get ahead of times so when Tony Stark came out as Iron Man, they started to devise a plan to bring him down. That’s when Monique was brought into the picture.

“She was clearly out of place there. She was a beautiful angel in a world of black uniforms and blood. I was twelve years old then and was curious about the person they brought. They punished me every time I scurried to see her at her cell but she started to talk to me and her voice was the sweetest melody I could listen in that confined space.

“Finally they allowed me to be by her side when they found out that you were on your way Maddie. I stayed with her through everything. She gave me a name and taught me everything she wanted me to know about her, those are the stories I’ve been telling you since you were born. And she also confided me who your father was.

“Then, one day, when everyone at the base were running frantic because S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America were taking down H.Y.D.R.A. bases she told me to take you in the first chance I see and run away, she would meet us later so to take you to your dad and be a happy family…  but they killed her before she could meet us. You were only three years old then…” By now, tears were flowing freely through Anette’s cheeks and her voice sounded completely broken.

“I am sorry for all you had to endure while I made you live in the streets. I’m sorry that I didn’t take you straight to your dad when we left the bad guys. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you the truth when I saw your dad. It’s just that I grew to love you more than I could ever imagine… and I wanted to tell you since we arrived here… but I couldn’t… I had to be sure that you were happy and that he wanted you and cared for you. I was selfish, I wanted to have all the time I could with you before…” Annette was sobbing hard at this point, it was even hard for her to speak and harder to be understood. “I’m sorry I hide it this long and everything I have done… you are my world and now I… I have to… I have to… I need air.” She then left the room gasping for air leaving the recording on.


	10. Chapter 10

At Madeleine’s school everyone was surprised when they saw the very Tony Stark arrive for their Father-Daughter dance. Tony wasn’t supposed to have a daughter, yet he was here hand in hand with the newest student.

The little’s girl face was shining brightly. She had no idea everyone was watching closely her every move. Her teacher promptly approached to confirm his identity, not every day you see Tony Stark coming to your school dance. “ _Excuse me Mr. are you Madeleine’s father? I would like to give you the program and the corsage to be given to your daughter.”_

After an hour in the event, Tony had to admit that he was having fun. The other fathers were stealing glances at him every now and then. However he pays no further attention to them and did dance as much as he could with his daughter. He saw Monique in her smile and graceful movements. But now, he loved Pepper. He was lucky that Pepper took Madeleine in and cared for her as a parent would do.

To finalize the evening, Tony decided to have a first date with his daughter and took her to a fancy Italian restaurant. There, the five years old felt at ease with Tony and started to tell him little secrets that she wouldn’t dare to tell anyone. She mentioned that she missed the mom Annette talked about but she liked Pepper too, who she liked because she treated her like a mother does. She told him that she knew that Annette and she lived locked and there were bad people trying to take them; however she knew that they were safe now with Tony and his friends. Somehow the revelations didn’t sound strange to him as they had figured out that much.

After a not so formal dinner with other parents and their daughters, they finally went home. Maddie fell asleep in Tony’s arms when they reached the Tower. Unable to escape from her grip and loving the way in which she looked calm and dreamy in his arms, Tony took her to his room and tucked her to bed next to him. It was the first time in a long time that he slept through the night.


	11. Chapter 11

Next morning, Maddie went looking for her sister to tell her about her date night with her dad. However when she woke up and ran to the room where her sister was supposed to be sleeping she couldn’t find Annette. She went then to the kitchen, maybe she was preparing breakfast already, but once again, it was deserted. The common room was her next destination; maybe she fell asleep watching TV like they have done before, but nothing. Maybe, just maybe, she had a sleepover at Wanda or Pietro. The little girl then hurried to Wanda’s room first waking her up with a startle, but Wanda was alone in her room. Pietro was her last hope; she entered the room silently and climbed on his bed to find Pietro deeply asleep.

"Piet, open your eyes, please… Have you seen Annie? I can’t find her." At the sound of Annette’s name and the sadness of the little voice calling for her, Pietro bolted up.

"Wha- What do you mean you can’t find her? Have you looked for her at the common room?" Maddie replied affirmatively, which cause Pietro to frown. He dressed rapidly and asked to Wanda to take care of the little girl while he went to talk to Stark. Wanda sensed the distress and at once read what Maddie fears: that Annette left her behind forever. Pepper came to the rescue taking the girl to the common room for breakfast trying to keep her busy while the others looked for her sister.

Tony assembled a search team and recruited Nat and Steve. Pietro and Wanda joined and informed the rest that Wanda wasn’t able to find her mentally within the compound.

"We need to trace her steps since the last time we saw her." Tony then remembered last night before the dance; that was the last time any of them saw her.

The team hurried to her room to find it deserted, just as Maddie did earlier. With one look around Natasha noticed the phone on her desk. She took it for examination and saw that the camera was the last app used and proceeded to ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to reproduce the last picture or recording to see if they could get any information about where she had gone.

For their surprise they found Anette’s story. They listened to it carefully to the end, when she was on the verge of tears and simply stood up and left the room. After 2 minutes of showing nothing the video stopped, meaning that she didn’t come back.

"Can we agree that this is not as surprising as we expected?" Steve told the others.

"Let me search in the open databases from H.Y.D.R.A. the information about the program Annette was in, all they know about her must be there." Natasha commented, after all, she was good at hacking and intel. 

What they found was not flattering. It turns out that H.Y.D.R.A. had a program called “Replacement” where they found about Test Subject 09 or to be brief TS09. It was a program designed to create and clone subjects for experiments as replacements so they could harvest organs from them, experiment on the subjects or just send them in missions as cannon fodder. However the program was cancelled after TS10 because it was deemed not successful. Reading more into the files they found out that Test Subject 09 was used mainly to conduct blood tests for resistance and endurance because, according to the notes, she was dumb, unable to learn a language to communicate with her handlers and follow orders, so she was useless in battle. The team also found a video of her punishment after a failed test and how she was degraded to care for Monique when she prevented their captors from hitting her.  Finally, they saw that the last record H.Y.D.R.A. had of her, was the bulletin offering a juicy reward for information on her whereabouts as she had escaped with important information and a valuable asset. 

Pietro couldn’t believe it. this was not his Anette, she was caring and loving, fierce and intelligent, not the useless tool they described. Wanda remembered that when Anette arrived some months ago, she couldn’t read, as she was never educated according to the new information they have. However now the story was different, she could read fluently from Lewis to Tolkien without difficulty. All of them thought that she wasn’t that stupid spare parts provider that H.Y.D.R.A was writing about in their reports.  She was their girl, Pietro’s crush and Wanda’s best friend. Still they had no idea why would she go away or where. But Wanda had now an idea of why she may run away.

"Maybe… just maybe, she feels disposable." before the stunned look of others, she continued "I mean, she knows about the experiment and how she’s not blood related to Maddie, those were her first words from the video. What if she thought you wouldn’t want her around because of that and ran away?"

Wanda’s words resonated deeply within Tony. He felt guilty because he never looked at the DNA results Natasha gave them, but they just confirmed what they already knew. The information about the base and her name given was new and something they may overlook every time they looked for her at the databases. Pietro was devastated, he really liked Annette and never crossed his mind that she could feel like she wasn’t important or worthy of living with them.

Being the most rationales of the team, Steve asked Natasha to run the surveillance videos. They must have the recordings of last night. About 30 minutes after Tony and Maddie left the building; they saw her crossing the lobby and walking through the main door. It was clear she was just walking without aim or direction; she was wiping constantly her eyes but walking like a zombie. After the door closed behind her, it was impossible to tell which way she took.


	12. Chapter 12

The somber perspective didn’t stop the team from searching for Annette. It was early when they started to try to map where she may have been. Steve was marking on a map the places they think they may find her, and those in which they couldn’t find her. Wanda, Tony and Pietro were the search party while Natasha tried surveillance videos. Pepper took Madeleine out to buy a coffee and cake outside and then to the office in an attempt to keep her busy and distracted, she even promised they could go to a play zone later that evening after work. But still, there was no sight of Anette. Pepper was dreading having the conversation where she had to tell Maddie that they couldn’t find her sister or that hey weren’t sure if she would come back.

Pietro tried hard to think where she could be. He had already been to Jon’s communitarian kitchen, but she hadn’t visited there for a long time. Time was passing by and still there was no sign of her. And he knew that she could be quite sneaky if she wanted, after all, the girl managed to keep her sister out of one of the biggest intelligence agency there are. But he trusted he could find her because he was the one that spent more time with her. Then he remembered that one time they came out from the Shawarma restaurant that Tony recommended all the time. He remembered how that day they stayed talking long after they finished their meal leaving exactly at twilight. Pietro wasn’t looking at the view, but the shine in her eyes. He remembered his heart hammering at the sight of the dreamy girl by his side. That gave him the answer. She must be where she could see the fall of the night clearly and without disturbance. So he ran following the direction of the falling sun.

It took him minutes to see the immovable silhouette sitting on a bench by the harbor. He rapidly activated the intercom to send a signal to the team: “I’ve found her. She’s at the harbor”. A wave of relief passed through the search party with the promise of Pietro and Tony to bring her safely home. But at the moment, Pietro stayed put because he didn’t dare to come near her. He had been so worried about finding her that now he had no idea what was in order.

When Tony arrived some minutes later, he saw her just staring at the horizon, her gaze lost into the void. Tony met with Pietro and signaled him to stay in place while he talks to Annette. He cautiously approached to the bench occupied only by the girl.

“May I sit?” As answer Anette acknowledged his presence by looking at his eyes, and after a moment, she gave an affirmative nod. However she remained silent with no intention to talk, or even to move, she was just staring at the horizon. Seeing that she could stay silent there forever, Tony decided to tell her everything.

“You had us worried young girl. When we woke up and we looked for you around the tower and nothing, we got scared, I mean, you left the tower without saying where you were going. I was frightened, but Maddie got sad, she couldn’t find her sister to tell her everything she liked about Father-Daughter dance night. We had a great date, you know?”

Anette turned to look at Tony again, her expression was cold and concealing emotion, you could see the trail of the tears she cried, but then instead of talking, she returned to see blankly to the horizon.

Tony then took out from his pocket a white envelope “You know, since you arrived 10 months ago Nat has been trying to convince me that I read the results in this DNA report. I haven’t done it. I don’t need a test telling me that you are my daughter.” If Anette was surprised by his comment, she wasn’t showing. “Don’t you wanna know why? Well, when Monique and I were dating, we were fantasizing about our future together, you know… just playing some possibilities... a future that now is impossible… when the topic about children came out, she said she loved the name Madelaine and of course I told her I always liked the sound of Annette so we agreed that our first daughter would be named Madeleine and our second daughter Annette. When you appeared at the tower that day, scared and dirt, but beautiful and healthy all in all, and introduced yourselves, I knew deep down that you were mine. Both of you.”

 The face of Annette was full of tears again. She wanted to believe she belongs with Tony and Madeleine, but her fear was winning her inner battle.

“We did our homework kiddo, about H.Y.D.R.A. and “Replacement” and I assure you, both of you are safe with us. You got us worried. Everyone has been franticly looking for you, so how about we return to the others?”

“I’m nothing but a failed experiment from an evil organization.” Annette answered with a steady voice.

“Maybe you were born as the experiment from an evil organization, but you’re not a failure. You see that guy over there?”  Tony proceeded to point at Pietro, who was standing at a safe distance from where Annette and Tony were sitting.  “He’s madly in love with you because you’re beautiful and caring and certainly doesn’t think about you as a failed experiment. He agrees with me when I say that you deserve the world after what you have endured and survived. And if I could, I’d give you the world to right all the wrongs they did to you, if only you allow me.” He came close and held her. When he was about to cry he had to sass himself again to regain his composure. “Now I don’t think we could distract more a little girl who’s been dying to tell her sister all about her first dance with his dad. What about we go home and take some dinner to go for all, hum?”

Annette was greeted first by Pietro and then guided home by Pietro and Tony. There she was welcomed by the rest of the inhabitants of the tower. Finally Maddie came running to the arms of her sister.

“Annie, Why are you crying? Did the bad guys find you?”

“No baby, the bad guys are never going to find us again. I… I need to talk to you about the bad guys.”

“And then can I tell you about the dance?”

It was a family dinner that night with every inhabitant of the tower relaxing after some stressful hours. There were laughers and teasing from all of them. When the dinner was over, Annette took Madeleine to the balcony over cookies and hot chocolate.  It was hard for her to open up everything to her little sister, but she told her about how they were captive at H.Y.D.R.A. and her mother wanting to go and look for Tony Stark because he was her father. She was certain that they would be safe with him and he was more than able to protect them. Now they had the Avengers and they would make sure that nobody could hurt her, so she wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore.

Maddie was attentive to every word from her sister. Much didn’t make sense to her, but now she had a dad and Pepper was a good candidate for a mom. Plus there were all the aunts and uncles and Pietro. She liked Pietro but couldn’t quite pinpoint his role. Madeleine retold minute by minute her Father-Daughter dance, or so she thought. At that place there were only Tony and her and food and music and that is how her story went.

After an hour or so, Pietro came out to the balcony with a blanket that he threw over the sisters and himself. Seeing that neither of them was crying was a good sign and they stayed stargazing until Maddie fell asleep.

Pietro carried Maddie to bed and then accompanied Annette to her room. “Promise you won’t run away again.”

“I promise Piet, thank you… for find me.” Annette was glad to be back at the tower. For the first time in her life, she felt loved. And Pietro gave her a kiss on the cheek before wishing her goodnight and bolting to his own room.


	13. Chapter 13

After the runaway incident, Annette seemed to be happy back at the tower. She continued with the activities she had taken possession of there while Maddie was at school, mostly housekeeping chores. However she was also learning to cook with the vast access she had at the tower and continued her learning. She waited for Madeleine to come back from school to do her homework together before dinner with all the inhabitants of the tower. It became a pleasant and safe routine.

Several weeks passed rapidly and their life before the sisters arrived seemed like another life. One evening before dinner, Pepper arrived with a heavy envelope addressed to Tony, handing it to him with a glint of complicity.

“Tony you’ve got mail.”

“What are those Daddy?” Madeleine inquired pointing to the package that Pepper just passed her dad.

“Papers I’ve been waiting for a long time to arrive.”  He opened the envelope in the spot and got a pen from his pocket. “Now Annette should you sign on the dotted line, you’ll be by all law, a Stark.”

Annette’s eyes opened to the words of Tony. She surely wasn’t expecting having a last name, the truth being told, she had never thought about it. The gesture rendered her speechless. Noticing the uneasiness, Tony took over the conversation.

“They took longer than I expected due to having no records of your birth, but I asked Fury a favor and he obliged. With Maddie was easier since I showed them the DNA results, but now… if you want it… you can take our last name.”

Annette hurried to hug Tony, writing her name on the dotted line indicated by Tony.

“Oh man, I don’t know why you went through all of that! I mean, she’s gonna be a Maximoff anyways.”

“Oh no Pietro, you’re not taking my baby away… plus you need my blessing for that and unless you prove yourself worthy of my child, you’re not allowed to change her last name… first you’d have to face and beat the Hulk, and Thor, and Cap, and Widow, and only, listen well, and only when all of the Avengers have given you their blessing, you may think about dating my baby.”

As everyone was gathered at the kitchen for dinner, they all laughed at the farfetched terms and conditions imposed by Tony. Pepper just turned to give a stern look at Tony. She knew he was exaggerating, he approved of Pietro being with Annette from day one, because their relationship was formed before she entered his life. Plus they have formed a solid family that wasn’t threatened by the perspective of a marriage.  

“Annie and Pietro… sitting under a tree… k-i-s-s-i-n-g” Madeleine started to sing, something that she surely learnt at school, while Pietro chased her around the table.

Looking around Annette saw all the people that had come to mean family to her. When she left the H.Y.D.R.A. facility with Madeleine in her arms, all she thought about was to survive another day and find Monique. It was unfortunate that they couldn’t find their mother, but Pepper really cared for them and was up to the challenge of being mother to their family.

Three years after their escape Annette was dating Pietro and Wanda was the best sister-in-law she could ask for. The Avengers turned out to be a great support group that cared for each other, supported each one and most important of all, welcomed two scared girls into their lifes. All in all, Annette not only found the father of her sister as she promised to her mother, she found her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan to come back later to rewrite it... when I become better at writing.   
> I enjoyed the journey!


End file.
